7 Tips To Help Introverts Participate More Actively

(source:socialsteve.wordpress.com)

Covering up shyness has become an integral part of university life for students. In this modern day of “active learning” only what is visible can be counted. A student’s dedication or attentiveness is not gauged by active listening, note taking or even thinking, but by engagement–asking questions, oral presentations and expressing opinions. This visible expression is equated with evidence of learning. Along with this, some teachers also feel that students are offending them at a personal level by not giving any worth to their wisdom when they do not participate.

So how can introverts overcome this stigmatization, not only in the classroom but also at the workplace? It is easy for employers, teachers, and mentors to deem certain people as disengaged due to a lack of oral contribution. It is estimated that anything between a 30 to 50 percent of people are introverts. A lack of oral contribution may not always stem from shyness, but rather from a lack of confidence in the ability to coherently verbalize an idea. “Just talk more” is easier said than done. Here are some tips that we have compiled to try and help you build your confidence and increase “active discussion” in today’s extrovert-centric university environment:

1. Write down your ideas, opinions or comments from the assigned reading or report. Presenting ideas in front of strangers or larger groups of people can leave you jumbled and stuttering. Now when you get to your seminar or meeting you will have all your discussion points coherently listed so you are not put on the spot.
 

(source:parents.wfu.edu)

2. Have a talk with your professor before your next class. Most of them are accommodating and happy to help you with any issues or concerns you may have. If you are unsure of your ideas or you want to check if they are “clever”, go talk to your professor one-on-one before your class to go over the ideas. This way you can have a talk through them and rid yourself of some insecurity.

3. If you aren’t comfortable talking to your professor, try setting up weekly study sessions with a friend in that class. You can discuss your questions and ideas with this friend in a safe, non-judgmental environment to build on your ideas.

4. The day before your presentation practice the whole things multiple times in front of your mirror, your parents or your roommate. This way you can work on your delivery speed, body language and wording. This will leave you feeling more confident and less flustered during the actual presentation.

5. Educate yourself. Be well researched and educated on the topic you will have to discuss or present. This will allow you to be not only more knowledgable, but better able to form (counter-)arguments in the discussions. Knowing the topic at a deeper level should increase your confidence.
 

(source:rainexperiment.wordpress.com)

6. Use visual aids. Don’t let all the information come directly from your mouth. Make a PowerPoint presentation; create charts, use diagrams and etc to aid your presentation. They will help not only reduce the amount of information you have to verbalize but it will also serve as a reminder of topics you need to talk about.

7. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Remember that your ability to verbalize ideas does not indicate a higher understanding. Being an introvert, or being shy, does not mean you are at a disadvantage or that there is something wrong with you. And when you start doubting yourself remember that according to Quiet, by Susan Cain, even Barack Obama and JK Rowling categorize themselves as introverts.